Furnace comprising coking and combustion grates



Oct.. 10, 1950 J. A. woRsHAM mames coumsmc conm; AND couausfrxon GRATE Filed April 22, 1946 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 75 9. 4Z. fa

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Patentedfet. fo, 1950 l "PATENT orpicg 'i 2,524,868 FUaNAcEdoMPRrsrG coxrNG AND p f i coMBUsTIoN altares James A. Worsham, Maplewood, Mo. Application April zz, 1946, serial No. 663,973 `2 claims. v(o1. 11o-24) l y This invention relates to improvements in burning devices such as stoves, domestic furnaces and comercial 'installations' for burning solid fuels such as bituminous coal and derivatives thereof, in sizes from screenings to that of briquettes and to burn such volatile fuels, smokelessly.

' One of the objects of the invention is vto provide a burning device, stove or furnace of an improved construction whereby to Jfirst coke a given quantity of coal in one location and to burn the coked coal in another location in the device.

' .Another object isl lto provide a furnace with improved means for intermittently feeding measured quantities of coal to the fire pot f the furnace and to intermittently move it through the fire pot in the steps of coking the fuel, burning the coked fuel and subsequently discharging the residue of the burned fuel from the re pot.

A further object is to provide the fire pot of the furnace with a set of two cooperating fuel supporting grates, one of which is adapted to be the arrow 4 in Fig. 1.

Figure l5 is an enlarged longitudinal section `taken through this improved two section grate and showing the application of draft controllin plates thereon.

Referring by numerals -to the accompanying drawings,` I0 designates a hot air type of furnace actuated to discharge its fuel content on the other grate after the fuel thereon has been heat treated, such as by coking.

A still further object is to provide a, furnace fire pot with an improved two section grate for respectively serving as a coking section for coal when fed thereon and a burning section for the coked coal.

Still, another object is to provide a two section grate fora furnace of an improved construction whereby one section after coking the coal thereon is operated to discharge the coke onto the other section which is located in the burning zone of the fire pot and the latter section being subsequently operated to discharge the burned residue in the ash pit or the like.

Another stillfurther object of the invention is to feed the fuel to and through the fire pot of a furnace and thelike in measured quantities by intermittently operated devices which may be hand operated whereby to first deposit thel fuel on the coking section of the grate and after the fuel has been converted into coke, to discharge it onto the 'grate burning section and to subse- `quently discharge the ash content from the burnunderstood that changes may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit and intents of the invention. v

having the conventional surrounding air drum I I and said furnace having an ash vpit I2 and fire pot I3, the ash pit and fire pot being divided by the gratel I4.

The grate I4 comprises a coking section I5 and a burning section I6 and are normally disposed on a horizontal plane, each of said grate sections having a side disposed axis designated- ,grate and disposed above the inwardly facing The discharge opening 24 of the chute 25 isdisposed above the section I5 of the grate I4, said opening and said chute being of the approximate length of the re pot I3 and the grate I4, and as the chute door 21 is normally held in a closed position in said chute by the counterweight 29 thereof, said door is provided with inflammable packing strips 30, top and bottom 'thereof for preventing draft currents passing through the chute and entering the coal bin 26. g The fire wall supporting bracket 20 may extend `around the ash pit, and supported thereon op- /f'posite to the fire brick wall 2l is a fire brick wall 3l and end disposed fire brick walls 32 which extend upwardly to the approximate height ot 3 the lower end of the furnacenre door 33, and

between the walls 23 and 3|' a vertically extending passageway 34 isformed which leads to the J' vdoor 4I and each compartment having an ash can 42 therein. 1 s

The ash pit door 4| of the compartment 39 which is positionedbeneath the burning section I6 of the grate I4, is provided with a damper 43 which is operable by a. pull chain 4 4 secured thereto and entrained over rollers 45, the opposite endof said chain being fastened to a damper 46 of an air inlet passageway 41 which is positioned on the same side of the furnace as is the damper 43, said passageway 41 leading upwardly against the furnace 8 and fire pot I'3 thereof and communicating with a passageway 48 formed behind the lire brick wall 3|, andl which communicates with a series of horizontally dipsosed and differently directed ducts 48 formed in said wall 3I for directing heated air currents into the burning products of combustion in the upper end of the fire pot I3. y

The coal chute outwardly of the door 21 is provided with a measuring section 58 with which a discharging device 5I is cooperable, said device comprising a horizontal shaft 52 rockably mounted in a support -53 by a handle 54 secured on one end, and fixed on said shaft are a pair of slotted end walking beams 55, the slots of ash pit I2 and/or the compartment 39 thereofv by adJusting the damper 43 of the ash pit door 4I and Vto the compartment 40 through the regulated damper 31 in the dividing wall 35 of the ash pit.

'I'he fuel charge depositedon the coking section I5 'of the grate was accomplished by turning the handle 54 of the coal discharging device 5I l in a right lhand direction, thereby withdrawing the prongs 59 from the coal 'pack thereagainst in the measuring 'section 50 of the chute 25, and

which support respective horizontal rods .56 and 51, and mounted on each rod between the beams is a sleeve 58.

cured to the bottom of the chute 25 and are adapted to be alternately projected into the measuring section-50 of the chute.

One end of the axis II` of the coking section f- I5 of the grate I4 extends through a wall II'a of the air drum I I and has a downwardly extending lever 62 fixedly secured thereto, and connected at one end to said lever is a rod 63 which is connected at its other end to a hand operated lever 64 which is pivoted intermediate its ends to a mounting 65. The axis I8 of the burning section I6 of the grate also extends at one end through the air drum wall Ila and has an upwardly extending lever 66 xedly secured thereto, and connected at one end to said lever is a rod 81 which is connectedat its other end to a hand posed in horizontal alinement andiare held in this position by the coil spring 69 of respective hand levers 64 and 68 holding said levers in neutral positions. Fire is then kindled on the burning section I6, access thereto being provided through the fire door 33. Coincidentally therewith. al charge of coal is supplied on the coking section I5 through the discharge opening 24 oi' the chute 25 and draft is entrained into the simultaneous therewith the prongs 60 are moved upwardly into the relatable guiding block 6I thereby checking and holding coal from entering the measuring section 50 while the measured coal quantity that was in section 50, is being discharged beneath the swingable door 21 and onto the coking section I5 of the grate through the discharge opening 24 of the chute 25.

In due time by burning action of the fuel kindled on the grate burning section I6, combustion therefrom in the fire pot I3 -will expand and coke the coal o n the grate section I5 and the heavy vapors and gases from the coking coal will by reason of 'the inwardly curved wall 22, be directed into combusting contact with the burning products of combustion from the grate burning section I6 and the rising heavy vapors from the coking bed will be ignited and consumed before entering the' heat chamber 35 through the vertical passageway 34.

Leading from the upper end of the heat chamber 35 to the ilue 10 is an outlet 1I, said nue leading to the stack 12.

By the time the kindled fuel on the grate burning section I6 has been consumed, the coke on the grate section I5 will have ignited and the ash content or residue on the grate burning section lI6 is discharged into the ash can 42 in the compartment 39. The discharging of the ashes from the grate section I6 is accomplished 'by the furnace tender engaging and `pushing the hand lever 68 forward, the rod 61 thereof swinging the lever and the ,grate section I6 on the axis I8, thus downwardly inclining the grate section I6 to a discharging position whereby the ashes therefrom will be dumped into the ash can 42 thereunder.

Upon release .of the hand lever 68 the related coil spring 69 will contract and return said lever, grate section I6 and cooperating linkage to normal positions, and the furnace tender will then engageand rearwardly pull the hand lever 64 and the rod 63 connected thereto and to the lever 62, and cause the ,grate coking 4section I5 to be swung upwardly to the approximate inclined position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to discharge the ignited coke on the grate burning section I6. Upon release of the lever 6d the grate coking section I5 and connecting linkage will be returned to normal positions by the related coil spring 69 in readiness for the coking section I5 receiving -another coal charge from the measuring section 50 in the chute 25.

The grate coking section I5 is wider than the grate burning section I6 to provide spreading space for the expanding coking coal thereon, and

when the coke is discharged or dumped on the grate burning section I6 it will be walled against the fire wall 3l, in the manner shown in Fig. 1.

When the furnace tender is about to operate, the coal discharging device 5I. if it is found that the lprongs 60\have been left in chute inserted position after a preceding operation thus holding back coal from discharge into the measuring section 50, the tender upon turning the handle 54 counter-clock-wise, will simultaneously cause the prongs 60 to be withdrawn and the prongs 59 inserted respectively from and into the chute and the measuring section 50 will-thus become coal loaded. The furnace tender will then turn the handle 54 in a clock-wise direction to withdraw the prongs 59 to permit discharge of the measured coal quantity beneath the door 21 through the discharge opening 24 of the chute 25 onto the grate coking section I5.

The measuring section 50 is provided with an upwardly disposed longitudinal pocket 13 to permit the coal to displace or crowd while the prongs 60 are being inserted in the chute.

As the door 21 is remote from vthe discharge end 24 of the chute 25 and the door 21 being counter I balanced, said door is normally closed and conse- 'quently the coal in the storage bi'n 26 is protected against effects of intense heat and ascending gases from the ire pot` I3, and if the furnace tender leaves the measuring section 50 empty until another coal feed discharge is made to the coking side lof the fire pot, this intervenin empty gap obviously provides a greater protec ing distance from the fire pot to the coal bin.

In a furnace of this improved character, the fire door 33 and ash pit doors 4I should be kept closed after the furnace has been fired so that the only airl entremed to the are' pot I3 will be through the dampers 43, 46 and 14, the damper 43 controlling the draft to the compartment 39 of the ash pit I2 and to the compartment 40 of the ash pit through thedamper 31 in the dividing walls 36, the damper 31 relating to the grate coking section I which will require only a minimum of air draft comparablewith the draft required for the grate burningsection I6.

The dampers 43 and 46 are cooperable with each other to the extentthat when the ,damperv 43 is full open, the-damper 46v is closed; the damper 43 when wide open .being for attaining a faster burning of the fuel on the grate burning section I6, whereas when the damper 43 is slightly open or fully closed, the damper 46 isopen so that 'heated air can be entrained to the fire pot I3 above the burning fuel bed in deflecting directions through the ducts 49 from the passageways 41 and 48 to assist in providing a more completecombustion by admitting warm oxygen laden air above the fire pot to mingle with the rising burning gases and to be combusted therewith.

A pivoted lever connected to the chain 44 when swung in either direction, operates either dampers 43 or 45 and as said chain is counterweighted at 16 saidV dampers will be held in they `door 4I of the compartment 40 and the damper 31 in the dividing wall 36 may be closed so that air cannot be entrained into the compartment 39 beneath the grate burningr section I6.

` By intermittently dumping ashes from the grate burning section, ash ,accumulation is prevented, thus providing a'clean grate burning section for eiiicient ring.

When one ash can 42 is lled by ash discharge from the burning section I6, it is removed and 'gagement with respective replaced by inserting the other ash can in the compartment 39 and a slidinglid 11, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, is engaged on the side beads 18 of the ash can so that it may be carried like a suitcase or otherwise, by engaging either handle 19 of the ash .can for conveying and emptying the ashcans, thereby preventing the escape` of fly ash while carrying the cans.

While 'all of the operating devices for feedingv coking, burning of the coke and dumping the ash residue are shown as being manually operated, `these devices may be mechanized to be successively and timely operated by thermostat control.

, Inasmuch as this improved furnace both cokes and burns the coked coal in the two zones provided therefor, it may be required to change the grate structure by mounting a plate 80 on each grate section I5 and i6, as shown in Fig. 5, with perforated' draft openings therein for more adequately burning certain types of fuels. For securingthe p-lates 80 to respective grate sections, each plate has depending hooks 8l for under-enparts 82 on each grate section.

What I claim is:

1. A furnace having a fire pot and a horizontally alined two section grate in the re pot, one of said grateseetions being a coking section and the other section being a burning section, said re pot having an inwardly facing arcuate wall, and a coal chute having its discharge end through said wall adjacent and above said coking section, said coking section being swingably mounted on one end and disposed to have its free end travel in conformity with the curvature of said wall.

2. A furnace having a fire pot with a two section grate in the fire'pot, said grate sections being disposed in approximate horizontal abutment and are swingably mounted at or adjacent their ends in the fire pot, said grate'sections comprising a coking section for receiving raw coal and a burning section for receiving the coked coal from the coking section when said coking section is upwardly swung, said burning section arranged to be downwardly swung for dumping burnt residue therefrom, a wall in said fire pot extending upwardly and inwardly over said coking section, said wall having a coal opening therein positioned above said coking section.

` JAMES'A. WORSHAM.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT Number Name Date 710,707 Murphy Oct. 7, 1902 899,442 Williamson Sept. 22, 1908 1,328,116 Benton Jan. 13, 1920 1,456,138 MacKay May 22, 1923 1,500,348 Tackabery July 8, 1924 1,543,801 Smith June 30, 1925 1,646,111 Reid i Oct. 18, 1927 1,715,961 Tschira June 4, 1929 1,808,487 Ahlberg v June 2, 1931 1,813,156 Gilchrist July 7, 1931 1,945,224 Kelly 2---- Jan. 30, 1934 1,983,709 Schmidt Dec. 11, '1934 f 2,216,287 Agar 1 i.-- Oct. 1, 1940 2,295,781 Fellows et al Sept. 1 5, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,766 Great Britain July 30, 1884 26,270

Great Britain -v.----.. 1898 

